In our industrial society, devices often contain substances that may leak or spill undesirably onto other devices, persons, or the surrounding environment. For example, batteries may be stored on battery racks, cabinets, relays racks, or a combination of the above or other structures, where the batteries may serve as a backup power supply for data communication centers, telecommunication equipment, broadband, cable, and/or computers. These batteries may contain acidic or alkaline substances that may leak or spill onto other batteries, cables, equipment, and/or other devices, as well as personnel, thereby posing a hazard to people and property. Sulfuric acid, commonly found in batteries, is an extremely hazardous material regulated by federal, state, and local governments. For example, with respect to batteries, Article 64 of the Uniform Fire Code requires a four-inch high containment barrier with an acid neutralization capability to a pH of between 7.0 and 9.0. Many valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries, as well as other batteries and devices other than batteries, are required to have spill containment or control devices required by local city or county ordinances.
As such, it is desirable to contain leaks and spills from hazardous devices such as batteries. While some spill containment systems exist, existing systems have shortcomings and are even cost-prohibitive in many cases. Storage space for battery backup systems is precious, and as companies become increasingly dependent on computers, their need for storing a greater number of batteries increases. Both real estate, battery cabinets, and relay rack space are at a premium. Thus, companies utilizing battery backup systems need to store as many batteries as possible in a given amount of space, such as in a warehouse, a basement, or other rooms. Often, the rooms may have structures that obstruct the floor space (such as columns); others may have non-rectangular areas, reducing the amount of space available for spill containment systems. However, existing spill containment systems typically are not configured to maximize space. Moreover, existing spill containment systems are typically placed beneath an entire rack or cabinet of batteries and, as such, do not identify a source of spillage.
Therefore, it is desirable to have improved systems and methods for battery spill containment.